Unless otherwise indicated, the foregoing is not admitted to be prior art to the claims recited herein and should not be construed as such.
A voltage regulator provides a relatively constant DC output voltage, using circuitry to continuously hold the output voltage at a given value regardless of changes in load current or input voltage. A linear voltage regulator operates by using a voltage-controlled current source to force a fixed voltage to appear at the output terminal of the linear regulator. A switching voltage regulator uses two power switches to transfer energy from input to output via an inductor and a bulk capacitor.
Switching voltage regulators are generally more efficient than linear voltage regulators over a wide range of voltage inputs and output current conditions. However, at lower loads, the efficiency of switching voltage regulators can tail off as the quiescent current of the circuits comprising the switching voltage regulator itself becomes a significant contributor to system losses.